42 



JOUENAL OF HORTICULTDKE AND COTTAGE GABDENER. 



[ January 14, 1875. 



beauty ; the second was close apon her, however. Third, a fair 

 bird. 933 (Powler), large and with fine crest, but too much 

 white in it. This class we thought very good. 



Malai/s. — There were two good classes, but hardly so well 

 filled as we had hoped to see. The first cock is an old friend 

 and a great beauty; second much smaller, but good in plumage; 

 third also rather small, but of good quality. The winning hen 

 was capital, being good in pltunage and condition. One was 

 very dark and a good size; second a smart dark bird; third 

 pressing close on second. 83C (Rooth), a very fine bird. 



Leghorns. — This variety is gradually getting more popular. 

 The birds here were very good. The winning cockerel of admir- 

 able colour, and well shown; the second was good, but wanted 

 washing; third a smart Brown. 935 (Ward), dirty, but good in 

 quality; 936 a good Brown. The first hen walked in, being in 

 beautiful condition and very showy ; second a very brilliantly 

 coloured Brown; third a capital, well-known White. 950 (Jacomb), 

 grand in comb and head, but rather small ; 954 (Fowler), a smart 

 White. 



Game Bantams. — In Black-breaeted and other Eeds the win- 

 ners were well placed, and looked very smart pens, all being 

 Black Reds. The cup pen especially good. In the next class 

 exquisite Piles won first, and nice Duckwings second and third. 

 The winning PUea were very good in shape, but very dirty. In 

 the single cock class a good smart Pile won the cup, with a 

 beautiful head and of charming shape. Besides the winners 

 there was not much worthy of note in this class. 



Black Bantams were a large and very good class of twenty-two 

 pens. The Secretary, Mr. Cambridge, did not contend for the 

 prizes, though the superior merit of his birds is well known. 

 The two first pens were very good, there being but little to 

 choose between them, the first containing by far the best hen, 

 while the second held the best cockerel. The third-prize pair 

 also small and neat. 1101 (Shackleton), very good indeed ; 1107 

 (Tindal), cock's earlobe too large, otherwise good. It is perfectly 

 astonishing how the Sebrights have improved in the last two 

 years, twelve pens of these little gems being shown here, and 

 hardly a bad bird amongst them. The awards of the Judge 

 were not very favourably received, it being generally considered 

 that Mr. Leno's two pens and Mr. Hodson's Silver chickens 

 were the pick of the class. The first-prize birds have been a 

 good pen, but the lacing on the cock's breast has moulted-out 

 very badly, and now seems more spangled than laced. The 

 second-prize birds were Golds, but far too heavily laced. Third 

 fair Silvers. Not a single pair of the old creamy Silvers were 

 to be seen. What an improvement ! White Bantams were a 

 very poor class. Mr. Tearle's pens were empty. Mr. Beldon's 

 were the only birds in the class that had not stained earlobes. 



Waterfowl. — Aylesbury Ducks, only three pens competing, 

 and they were well placed. We were most sorry not to see more 

 entries in this class. The Rouens were much better, the cup pen 

 being very fine in shape and colour. This pen weighed 16 lbs. ; 

 the second and third both weighed 17 lbs., and were also capital 

 pens. 1006 (Stott), a very good pen ; 1022 (Harvey), seemed close 

 on the third. Black East Indians were beautiful, and we were 

 much pleased with the judging. The Judge, we know, took 

 every possible trouble over them, and his awards seemed most 

 correct. We stand up for colour and shape before mere small- 

 ness of size. There were two pens in this class very highly 

 commended which were not marked in the catalogue — viz., 1026 

 (Sainsbury) and 1028 (Hayne). Mr. Sainsbury's colour is simply 

 exquisite, though certainly Mr. Kelleway's are rather smaller ; the 

 third Duck we admired immensely. In the fancy class Japanese 

 Teal won the cup, and looked very pretty. Beautiful Carolinas 

 second and third. We thought Mr. Leno's, however, quite equal 

 to them. The winning Geese were very good, and weighed 53, 

 41, and 41 lbs. per pen respectively, while the 'Turkeys weighed 

 56, 36, and 36 lbs. each. They were three very fine pens, and 

 were well placed, apart from their actual weights. 



THE PIGEONS. 

 These numbered 640 pens, and the point cups were awarded 

 as follows :^That tor ten guineas to Mr. Fulton, with 139 points ; 

 that for five guineas to Mr. N. Hill, with 103 points. Proceed- 

 ing in the order of the catalogue I come to the Carriers, and 

 if there was any fear a few years since that these birds were 

 becoming restricted in their admirers, all such fear is at an end, 

 for ninety pens are before me. Old cocks, Black or Dun. — First- 

 and-cup (Horner), a first-rate colour, but second (Fulton), better 

 in head. Third, Black with mandibles far apart. Of the fifteen 

 pens more than half were deservedly noticed. Old hens. Black 

 or Dun. — This an excellent class of fourteen birds. First and 

 third Blacks, and second a good Dun, a particularly nice bird. 

 Old cocks, any colour. — The majority of these were, as might be 

 supposed, Blue, but one White (1454) good enough to get a com- 

 mendation, while 1458 was marked a Chequer, but lacked the 

 dappled look, being rather a Black with snatches of blue coming 

 through, but, persevered in, good Chequers might be shown. 

 The prizes went to Blues. Second better than first. Pen 1459 

 (Horner), commended, a good Blue, save that the bars were a little 



indistinct. Old hens, Any other colour. — First (Horner), a very 

 nice Carrier, Blue, like second and third. There was a Silver 

 brown-barred which might have been shown among Dragoons. 



Youug Carrier cocks, Any colour. — These showed a wonderful 

 advance at a Bristol Show. First-and-cup a good bird. Dun, 

 and no mistake. Young Carrier hens. — First (Maynard), a 

 capital Dun ; so also Mr. Maynard's highly commended pen 

 1494. Second, Black with a particularly good beak. Third, 

 same owner (Massey), good again. 



Pouters. — Fifty pens in all, against the eighteen of last year ; 

 verily this is an advance, and the noble Pouter is now to be met 

 with in goodly numbers south of the Tweed. As to the judging 

 of the Pouters there was much discussion, and I think that the 

 prizes would have gone differently in some cases had the birds 

 been put in a judging pen as in Scotland, which is by far the 

 best plan, for comparison in Pouters is necessary, and they are 

 best compared by being placed together. In separate pens they 

 cannot easily be rightly judged, now that happily the tape-line 

 is not the sole guide. Pouter cocks. Black or Blue, any age. — 

 First-and-cup (Yardley), a little too stout for a Blue, but good in 

 colour and leg- feathering. Now, strange to say there was Mr. 

 Bullen's Palace cup bird unnoticed, though very graceful and 

 slender for a Black but honestly shown, the black left in the 

 thighs, and therefore I suppose Mr. BuUen lost, for it was a far 

 superior bird to the first. The third-prize (Hills), had been 

 twice first at Palace and at Glasgow and Oxford, but only third 

 here ! No. 1521 a nice bird. Pouter hens. Black or Blue, any 

 age. — A famous class. First, large Blue hen (BuUen) ; second, 

 same owner, first at Palace, second here ; third, BuUen again, 

 a Black somewhat short in hmb. 1525, highly commended 

 (Horner), a pretty but pale bird. 1026, highly commended 

 (Fulton), a good bird with beautiful bars. 1532, very highly 

 commended (BuUen), a wonderfully fine Blue bird, only four 

 months old. What will she not be presently 1 Pouter cocks, 

 any colour and age. — First, Yardley ; second, a good Red; third, 

 a pale Y'ellow. 1535, very highly commended (Fulton) ; perhaps 

 the very best bird in the class. Pouter hens, any colour and 

 age.^First and second Bullen ; third (Hill), a good yeUow hen, 

 better than second to my judgment, but oh, strange turn of 

 fortune ! there was Mrs. Ladd's lovely white hen, first at Oxford, 

 a bird of exquisite style, only commended here. Oh, for a 

 judging pen ! 



Almond Tumblers. — Thirteen pens. The real contest lay 

 between Fulton and Yardley, and the latter won the cup. 

 Eight pens were noticed. Any variety of Shortfaces showed 

 about twenty pens of most variously feathered birds — Agates, 

 Kites, Baldheads, and Mottles, but much could not be said for 

 any save the noticed birds. 



Fourteen pens of Foreign Owls. The Barbs of all ages were 

 numerous, the old cocks being the best. Old indeed were some. 

 'Tis a pity this class shows age so sadly. " Old, Master Shallow ! 

 without doubt he's old," I said, whilst looking at some of the 

 watery-eyed old gentlemen. 1 think some of these are actuaUy 

 unpleasant to look at, and ought to be kept at home, and not 

 sent from show to show. 



The Trumpeters were but five, but very choice. First-and- 

 cup (Lederer), a noble Mottle. 



Jacobins again were good, and it is pleasant to see this bird 

 improves in colour and shape, the dark colour reaching quite to 

 the thighs and over, and the baldhead look gone. "Then the 

 length of the bird ! and a certain gracefulness in shape with the 

 length is now seen, as at Bristol. A lovely White and good 

 Black appeared, with many exceUent Keds. The Black was the 

 first-prize hen, the White the second-prize hen, and, their peus 

 being side by side, the birds showed weU, by contrast of colour, 

 each other's beauties. 



Fantails were a rough lot. 



Turbits very abundant, and many very good. 



The EngUsh dvls were " an extraordinarily good class," and 

 showed that all fears of these fine birds beiug "lost to sight, 

 though to memory dear," are groundless. It is well that the 

 rage for the delicate African has much subsided ; a large, bold 

 variety of bird is quite as much to be admired as an extremely 

 smaU and tender one. 



Nuns and Magpies, especially the latter, were good. 



That old favourite the Dragoon, now as popular as ever, was 

 well to the front, for upwards of ninety birds were exhibited. 

 The greater number were of the London style ; and many of the 

 prize birds (and most beautiful in colour most of them were), 

 were very large and even heavy-looking. First hen (W. Hill), 

 a beautiful Yellow ; second (Graham), as beautiful a Red, both 

 very heavy birds, which is not to my taste ; but once accept the 

 atyle as correct, they were splendid birds. The Blues were ex- 

 ceedingly good, particularly in colour. Reserving to myself my 

 own ideas of tlie Dragoon, I own I rejoiced to see such a splen- 

 did show of birds, elegant, and bold, and sound in colour, c-iU 

 them what you will, whether Dragoons or Horsemen. 

 The Short-faced Anlwerps appear to be fading away before 

 j their Long-faced brethren, birds of utility, and at this time 

 S very popular. 



